Beyond Junk -- A Total Rip-Off

[Jim Asher]

Okay, I promise this will be my last post about the DVD Avenue "Father Knows Best" set.

Not sure what kind of company would make the effort to put something like this together, and at the same time OBVIOUSLY rip people off by offering it.

Of the 25 discs, 12 -- TWELVE -- do not play in any of my three DVD players. (And one in particular plays everything.)

And of those that do play, there are major problems of timing. For example, Disc Three has "Christmas Story" and the menu says it runs for 22:30. But it doesn't. It moves to the next episode at the 14 minute mark, right at the point where the old bum is spotted by Kathy out her window, carrying a big sack in the snow.

Same thing happens with Disc Four and "Jim Delivers the Papers"(a beautiful episode). Only this one cuts out at the EIGHT minute mark.

I suppose I could go through the official return road with DVD Avenue, but I'm not. I'm just sending this collection of junk back and apply a chargeback with my CC.

DVD Avenue is tricky. They go under many names(for obvious reasons), one other being "allmyfavoriteshows.com".

This is too bad. What if there was a legimate company who worked with serious collectors and offered sets which are obviously being ignored by the "official releasers"? The respect and care needed in this sort of thing would be present, and everything would be above-board. Perhaps there are sets available from DVD Avenue which they "licensed" from someone who did put the necessary thought into the product.

"FKB" is definitely not one of them.

[stevea]

You might try cleaning the shiny surface of the DVD's with the problem. This has worked for me in the past when having playing problems.

FKB collectors need to form some kind of network, get someone who has the equipment to edit and master decent DVD's, and trade away!

[Lee G]

Originally Posted by Jim Asher

Okay, I promise this will be my last post about the DVD Avenue "Father Knows Best" set.

Not sure what kind of company would make the effort to put something like this together, and at the same time OBVIOUSLY rip people off by offering it.

Of the 25 discs, 12 -- TWELVE -- do not play in any of my three DVD players. (And one in particular plays everything.)

And of those that do play, there are major problems of timing. For example, Disc Three has "Christmas Story" and the menu says it runs for 22:30. But it doesn't. It moves to the next episode at the 14 minute mark, right at the point where the old bum is spotted by Kathy out her window, carrying a big sack in the snow.

Same thing happens with Disc Four and "Jim Delivers the Papers"(a beautiful episode). Only this one cuts out at the EIGHT minute mark.

I suppose I could go through the official return road with DVD Avenue, but I'm not. I'm just sending this collection of junk back and apply a chargeback with my CC.

DVD Avenue is tricky. They go under many names(for obvious reasons), one other being "allmyfavoriteshows.com".

This is too bad. What if there was a legimate company who worked with serious collectors and offered sets which are obviously being ignored by the "official releasers"? The respect and care needed in this sort of thing would be present, and everything would be above-board. Perhaps there are sets available from DVD Avenue which they "licensed" from someone who did put the necessary thought into the product.

"FKB" is definitely not one of them.

It is tempting to buy from bootleg outfits like this because they offer old shows from the 50's that are just not coming out as an official DVD release. The problem is, you will get crap quality junk, cut episodes recorded from TV and you will have problems trying to play the DVD's. Best thing to do is steer clear from bootleggers. They are a rip off every single time. There are some old shows from the 50's I'd love to have on DVD, hopefully the studios will eventually issue official releases of them. What's more frustrating is when a studio releases a few seasons of a show on DVD, then they abandon the show. Seasons one and two of Leave It To Beaver were released in pretty short order, but season three has yet to come along and there's never been any announcement regarding it's release. That sucks. Perhaps the first two seasons didn't sell that well and they are reluctant to issue more seasons.

[Zoneboy]

Originally Posted by Lee G

It is tempting to buy from bootleg outfits like this because they offer old shows from the 50's that are just not coming out as an official DVD release. The problem is, you will get crap quality junk, cut episodes recorded from TV and you will have problems trying to play the DVD's. Best thing to do is steer clear from bootleggers. They are a rip off every single time.

Your claim that bootleg sets are a ripoff every single time is ridiculous. I've bought bootleg sets of "Amos 'N Andy" "Death Valley Days" & "Highway Patrol" and did not have a problem with them. I bought "Amos 'N Andy" because the chances of ever seeing an official release are probably slim and none. "Death Valley Days" & "Highway Patrol were gift for my Dad who got tired of waiting for them to be released.

Not all bootleg sets are taped off tv. The A&A shows were dubbed from the original 16mm film reels. Unfortunately, I'm missing 6 episodes but nobody has them except for CBS and they'll stay locked in their vaults without ever seeing the light of day. If there's a series that I want to see bad enough and it looks like it won't be released anytime soon, I'll get it from a bootlegger if I have to. Just because one bootlegger unloads a piece of crap on someone, that doesn't mean they all do.

I did have one bad experience though, This guy I know wanted "Gomer Pyle USMC" on dvd. When he asked me to try to get it, It had not been released yet. I found all 150 episodes for him for 50.00 but told him that it was recorded on 8 dvds with 19 or so episodes per disc and that the quality would suck.

He didn't care, He wanted them and told me to get them. I tried again to talk him out of it but he wouldn't listen. He got his dvds and called me having a fit because of the poor quality and demanded his money back. He was told that the seller said no refunds because of the ease of copying then he had the nerve to tell me that I should refund his money because I was the one that ordered them for him.

[Lee G]

Amos N Andy is a different story because that is a specialized collection with complete episodes taken direct from the film masters. I also have those episodes except for the missing six. I can't comment on the other shows you mentioned because I haven't seen those.

These outfits that advertise on the internet like Jim ordered from is what I'm talking about. They entice you with these great looking offers, and if you take the bait you will receive junk. Buyer beware if you choose to purchase videos from a bootlegger. It is usually a risky venture.

[stevea]

I agree, it is risky. You will probably end up with a dud.

But there is an off chance you will end up happy with your purchase. "I have a friend" who took a risk on "Newhart" and it is as close to gold as any official release could possibly be. And you get all 8 seasons at one shot.

Trouble is, you never know.........